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Inside me lives a wonderful little boy that I haven't noticed for a long time. This boy is playful, curious, and knows how to enjoy life. However, most of the time, I don't let him be free. Please say a few words about this.
Playfulness, lightness – these are the most suppressed qualities of human nature. All societies in the world, all cultures and civilizations have suppressed carefree and playful behavior throughout time, because a playful person cannot be serious. And if a person doesn't take life seriously, they cannot be controlled; they will never be ambitious, they cannot be forced to desire power, money, or status in society.
The child doesn't die. He lives in each of you. You grow up, but the child inside you doesn't die; he continues to live inside you and will live there until your last breath.
Society has always feared unserious people. Unserious people don't know ambition; they don't need money, they don't need power; they prefer to enjoy existence. But enjoyment doesn't give you status in society or political power; it cannot satisfy your ego, and all of humanity revolves around the EGO.
Playfulness is the opposite of ego – try it and see for yourself. Just play with children, and you will see that your ego has evaporated; you will discover that you have become a child yourself. And this applies not only to you; it applies to all people.
Because you suppress the child inside you, you will also suppress your own children. People don't allow children to dance, sing, jump, or shout for very simple reasons – children might break or damage something, they might stain their clothes, they might get their feet wet if they run in the rain. These ordinary little things destroy great spirituality: playfulness and lightness.
Parents, teachers – all adults – pray for an obedient child, while a mischievous child is constantly punished. His playfulness may be completely harmless, but adults condemn such a child because he possesses a spirit of disobedience. It may not be fully manifested yet and is only in its nascent stage, but when the child grows up, considering that he has had complete freedom to express himself as he wants, it is likely that such a child will turn into a rebel. He will never become a slave; he will not go into the army; he will not kill. He will never destroy himself.
The rebellious child will grow up and become a rebel. He will never marry a woman he doesn't love; he will not do a job he doesn't like; he will not fulfill the unfulfilled desires and aspirations of his parents. The rebellious young man will live his own life. He will live according to his inner, most cherished desires, and not according to the desires of other people.
A rebellious person is usually very natural in his manifestations. An obedient child is practically dead. His parents are extremely happy – they can control him.
A person is sick with a strange disease: he wants to control other people. By controlling people, he satisfies his ego, feeling like a special person. And at the same time, he wants someone else to control him because then he doesn't have to take responsibility.
Because of all this, playfulness is suppressed, destroyed at the very beginning.
You say: "Inside me lives a wonderful little boy that I haven't noticed for a long time. This boy is playful, curious, and knows how to enjoy life. However, most of the time, I don't let him be free." What are you afraid of? Fear is imposed on you by others: control yourself, behave properly, respect your elders, listen to priests, parents, teachers – they know what is right for you and what is not. No one has ever given a voice to your nature.
Gradually, step by step, the child inside you dies. And at the same time, your sense of humor also dies. You can't laugh wholeheartedly; you can't play; you can't enjoy the little things. You become so serious that instead of expanding, your whole life shrinks, withers, and slowly leaves you.
Osho
Playfulness, lightness – these are the most suppressed qualities of human nature. All societies in the world, all cultures and civilizations have suppressed carefree and playful behavior throughout time, because a playful person cannot be serious. And if a person doesn't take life seriously, they cannot be controlled; they will never be ambitious, they cannot be forced to desire power, money, or status in society.
The child doesn't die. He lives in each of you. You grow up, but the child inside you doesn't die; he continues to live inside you and will live there until your last breath.
Society has always feared unserious people. Unserious people don't know ambition; they don't need money, they don't need power; they prefer to enjoy existence. But enjoyment doesn't give you status in society or political power; it cannot satisfy your ego, and all of humanity revolves around the EGO.
Playfulness is the opposite of ego – try it and see for yourself. Just play with children, and you will see that your ego has evaporated; you will discover that you have become a child yourself. And this applies not only to you; it applies to all people.
Because you suppress the child inside you, you will also suppress your own children. People don't allow children to dance, sing, jump, or shout for very simple reasons – children might break or damage something, they might stain their clothes, they might get their feet wet if they run in the rain. These ordinary little things destroy great spirituality: playfulness and lightness.
Parents, teachers – all adults – pray for an obedient child, while a mischievous child is constantly punished. His playfulness may be completely harmless, but adults condemn such a child because he possesses a spirit of disobedience. It may not be fully manifested yet and is only in its nascent stage, but when the child grows up, considering that he has had complete freedom to express himself as he wants, it is likely that such a child will turn into a rebel. He will never become a slave; he will not go into the army; he will not kill. He will never destroy himself.
The rebellious child will grow up and become a rebel. He will never marry a woman he doesn't love; he will not do a job he doesn't like; he will not fulfill the unfulfilled desires and aspirations of his parents. The rebellious young man will live his own life. He will live according to his inner, most cherished desires, and not according to the desires of other people.
A rebellious person is usually very natural in his manifestations. An obedient child is practically dead. His parents are extremely happy – they can control him.
A person is sick with a strange disease: he wants to control other people. By controlling people, he satisfies his ego, feeling like a special person. And at the same time, he wants someone else to control him because then he doesn't have to take responsibility.
Because of all this, playfulness is suppressed, destroyed at the very beginning.
You say: "Inside me lives a wonderful little boy that I haven't noticed for a long time. This boy is playful, curious, and knows how to enjoy life. However, most of the time, I don't let him be free." What are you afraid of? Fear is imposed on you by others: control yourself, behave properly, respect your elders, listen to priests, parents, teachers – they know what is right for you and what is not. No one has ever given a voice to your nature.
Gradually, step by step, the child inside you dies. And at the same time, your sense of humor also dies. You can't laugh wholeheartedly; you can't play; you can't enjoy the little things. You become so serious that instead of expanding, your whole life shrinks, withers, and slowly leaves you.
Osho